


Begin Again

by pinkamour1588



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Babysitting, Bartenders, Car Accidents, Coma, Cuddling & Snuggling, Custody Arrangements, Custody Battle, Divorce, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kissing, M/M, Post-Divorce, Romance, except it's not in a coffee shop, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-23 21:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11998653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkamour1588/pseuds/pinkamour1588
Summary: Sometimes love shows up when and where you least expect it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thefanficfaerie (CapandIronMansGurl)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapandIronMansGurl/gifts).



Leonard sighed as he killed the ignition on his car. He loosened the tie around his neck enough to remove it, tossing it onto the passenger’s seat and shrugging off his jacket. He shoved his keys in his pocket as he got out and headed toward the bar. Walking in, he tried not to cough as he walked through a cloud of cigarette smoke. Sleazy bar after being screwed over in a divorce. What more could he ask for. He found a seat at the bar and flagged the bartender down.

“So, what’d’ll it be?” the blond asked smiling at him.

“Bourbon. Neat,” Leonard answered.

~

“You should probably slow down,” the bartender said cautiously as Leonard asked for a fourth glass.

“I got fucked over by my ex-wife. I need a drink,” Leonard spat, rubbing his thumb over his now empty left ring finger.

“Alcohol won’t solve your problems.”

“Thought you were supposed to get people to buy more alcohol. Not less.”

“I’d rather not contribute to someone’s alcohol poisoning.”

“I’m a doctor. I think I can decide when I should cut myself off.”

“Whatever you say,” the bartender shrugged.

Leonard rested his elbow on the bar and his chin in his hand, looking the blond bartender over. “How old are you, kid?”

“Twenty-four.”

“You got a name?” he asked as the bartender set his drink in front of him.

“Jim. How about you?”

“Len. Well, technically it’s Leonard.”

***

Over the coming months, Leonard developed a great fondness for the bar. The alcohol was cheap and he always came home in need of a shower so he wouldn’t continue to smell like cigarettes. After every meeting with his lawyer or, god forbid, in family court fighting for custody of his daughter, he drank a little more than he really should. Never to the point of vomiting, but he always had a nasty hangover the next day. He got to know the bartenders, particularly Jim. While the other bartenders began to give him weird looks as they served him his fourth drink in the span of two hours, Jim didn’t. The blond would just wordlessly set the drink in front of Leonard.

Three months after he started going to the bar on a regular basis, he showed up feeling nauseous. It was early and not many people were there yet, so he mostly had the bar to himself with the exception of a few other patrons.

“The usual?” Jim asked as Leonard sank down onto one of the bar stools.

Leonard just nodded, but when the tumbler of whiskey was set in front of him, he didn’t make a single move to take it. He just stared at it blankly.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh?” Leonard looked up from the glass.

“Rough day?” Jim asked.

Leonard let out a huff. “That would be the understatement of the year.”

“I’m no therapist, but if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

Leonard picked up the glass and stared down at its contents for a long time before speaking, not even sure if Jim was still standing there. “Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and birthdays.”

Jim was silent for a few moments, then asked, “Your daughter?”

“Yep. Anything more than those is entirely up to the ex.” Leonard sighed. “I suppose I should be grateful for something rather than nothing.”

“Perhaps, but you can also be upset. That sucks.”

“It really does, doesn’t it?” Leonard took a long drink of his whiskey.

***

Two weeks later

“Why do you always come here?” Jim asked one afternoon as he set a tumbler of whiskey in front of Leonard. The bar was empty with the exception of three other customers.

“What?” Leonard looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

“You’re a doctor, yes?”

“Do you remember the professions of all your customers?”

“Just the pretty ones.” Jim turned around and walked over to another customer, getting them another drink and getting Leonard the basket of fries he’d ordered. “So, why do you always come here?” he asked as he put the basket of fries down.

“I don’t know,” Leonard shrugged as he picked at the fries.

“I mean, not that I don’t like your business, but I’m sure you can afford better. And from what you’ve told me, smoky bars don’t seem like they’d be your forte.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so either. But, I’m pretty much guaranteed to not see my ex here, so that’s a good reason, right?”

“And here I thought it would be because you liked the company.” Jim grinned and Leonard couldn’t help but give a small smile in return.

~~~

That night as Leonard laid in bed trying desperately to sleep because he had an early shift at the hospital in the morning, he kept thinking over Jim’s words.  _Why do you always come here? I thought it would be because you liked the company. Only the pretty ones._

If Leonard was being honest with himself, at this point, he was probably just going to the bar because Jim’s company. He didn’t really have any other reason to be there. And Jim was right when he said Leonard could afford better and that smoky bars weren’t his forte.

_Only the pretty ones._

He wasn’t sure if he was flattered or insulted by that statement. Not once in his 30 years had he been called “pretty”.

Besides, if anyone was going to get called pretty it would be Jim. Eyes so blue Leonard wasn’t entirely sure if they could be natural. Perfectly styled hair. A grin that never failed to make Leonard at least want to smile. Arms that were muscled enough for Leonard to wonder when the kid had time to work out when he seemed to always be at the bar.

Leonard rolled over and groaned into his pillow. Even if Jim had been flirting, he did that with almost every customer to some degree. So, it wasn’t like he was actually trying to get anywhere with Leonard.

***

Over the course of the next month, Leonard started noticing smaller things in Jim’s behavior. The way his face brightened a little more when Leonard sat down at the bar. The way his movements were so precise when he mixed a drink. The way he seemed to gravitate toward standing closer to wherever Leonard was sitting at the bar. The way he eyed the men flirting with some of the girls, occasionally stepping in and telling them to leave her alone.

The look on his face when Leonard accepted his phone number.

***

Two months later

Leonard was sitting in the break room eating lunch when a nurse came in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch, Dr. McCoy, but your assistance is needed urgently in trauma room two,” she said.

He nodded, quickly packing away his food and sticking it back in the fridge. He hurried to the room, stopping abruptly. “I can’t treat them,” he said flatly.

“You don’t get to make that decision right now, or ever,” the other doctor in the room snapped.

“I cannot treat her. She’s my ex-wife.”

“Go to trauma room three and send M’Benga in here.”

With a final glance at Jocelyn’s semiconscious form, he turned and walked out of the room. It wasn’t particularly easy to treat the patient in the next room. After all, it was the man Jocelyn had left him for and who had helped her win the custody battle. At least Clay was unconscious.

~

“McCoy!” Dr. Boyce called across the emergency room when Leonard walked out of the trauma room half an hour later.

Leonard raised an eyebrow at him as he walked over to the older doctor, his heart was pounding.

“Your shift’s over.”

“No? I still have six more hours.”

“No, I called Dr. Roberts in. You need to clean up and head to pediatrics…”

Leonard didn’t hear the rest of what was said, he was already rushing out of the emergency room and to the locker room. He changed out of his scrubs and into his jeans and a t-shirt. The elevator ride up to pediatrics seemed to take forever.

“How can I…” a nurse began to ask.

“Joanna McCoy. What room is she in?” Leonard asked cutting him off.

“And you are?”

“Her father. And I work here.” He dug his ID out of his bag and held it out. “So what room is she in?”

“Six, but Dr. Fisher want to talk to you first,” the nurse said, then sighed.

Leonard was already halfway to Joanna’s hospital room. When he walked in, he instantly felt sick. She wasn’t terribly beaten up. Just some cuts on her face and arm and a cast on her arm. But she wasn’t awake.

Dr. Fisher came in twenty minutes later and explained the situation. She’d been knocked unconscious during the car collision. Everything looked promising. She just needed to come to.

***

Leonard slept on the couch in the room that night. He was woken up by someone roughly shaking him and the smell of that godawful perfume Jocelyn loved. It wasn’t actually bad, Leonard just hated it because of the memories attached to it.

“What?” he said through gritted teeth as he looked up at her.

“You can leave now,” she answered.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m here now, so you can leave.”

Leonard sat up stretching. “As much as I’m not thrilled about spending time with you, I’m not leaving.”

“You don’t need to be here now.”

“My daughter’s unconscious. I’m damn well not leaving.”

“Len…”

“No. You do not get it call me that anymore.”

“Leonard, leave. Now. I’m sure you have bottle of bourbon to start and finish.”

He sneered as he stood biting back a comment about the blood alcohol content of her boyfriend when he was brought in. “I will leave my daughter over my dead body.”

Jocelyn scoffed. “You left her in favor of your job and a bottle of whiskey.”

Leonard clenched his jaw. He was not going to have this argument again, let alone in the middle of a hospital room.

“So, you’re not going to deny it this time?” She smirked.

“I’m just not dealing with your bullshit anymore,” he answered as he walked over to Joanna’s bedside and sitting in the chair next to the bed.

He could feel Jocelyn staring daggers at him, but she kept her mouth shut.

***

For the next five days, he and Jocelyn barely exchanged a word, and what was said was directly related to Joanna or brief pleasantries. He was sitting on the couch reading when his phone started ringing. Jocelyn glared at him and he just sighed as he stood and stepped out into the hallway.

“Hello?” Leonard said.

“Hey, Bones,” Jim answered cheerfully.

“Bones?”

“Oh, yeah, you know, since you’re a doctor and all. Anyway, I was wondering if you were ok? You haven’t been around the bar in a while. I mean, I guess you might’ve found a new bar to go to. I just wanted to check in.” Jim sounded like he’d drank enough coffee to given Leonard heart palpitations, and Leonard drank coffee like it was water.

“No, I haven’t found a new bar. I just haven’t been in the mood or situation to go to a bar.”

“You’re alright, though?” Jim sounded genuinely concerned.

“I’m fi…” Leonard stopped and sighed. “Joanna’s in the hospital. Car accident.”

“Oh.” There was a long pause before Jim asked, “Do you need anything?”

“Jim, I didn’t tell you that for sympathy.”

“Is that a no?”

“Coffee. I need coffee.”

“Ok. How do you like it?”

“Black.”

“What hospital?”

“Grady Memorial Hospital.”

“Anything besides coffee?”

“No.”

“I’ll be there soon.” Jim hung up and Leonard stared down at his phone for a minute before walking back into the hospital room.

Fifteen minutes later, Clay sauntered in with dinner for him and Jocelyn.

“You should eat more. Lookin’ a little pale there,” Clay smirked.

Leonard just glared at him over his book.

It took nearly half an hour before Jim walked in carrying a small paper bag and two coffees.

“Sorry, the line at the coffee shop was ridiculous and then it took some arguing with a nurse to let me in here. Anyway, black coffee and I figured you might be hungry so I got you a sandwich.” Jim held out the paper bag and the coffee.

“Who’s your little friend, Leonard?” Jocelyn asked raising an eyebrow as she looked Jim over.

Ripped skinny jeans, beat up Converse, worn band t-shirt, and a leather jacket.

Before Leonard could answer, Jim was striding over to her grinning, “Jim Kirk.” He stuck out his hand and shook hers. “You must be Jocelyn.”

“I am. And this is Clay.”

Jim shook his hand before walking back over to Leonard and sitting down on the couch.

“So, how do you two know each other?” Jocelyn asked.

“We met at a coffee shop,” Leonard answered quickly before Jim could say otherwise.

“It was love at first sight. At least for me. Took a few months before he’d give me his number,” Jim smiled over at Leonard.

Leonard just stared at Jim, unsure if he wanted to correct Jim or just go along with the story.

“So how long have you two been together?” Jocelyn asked.

“Six weeks?” Jim said still looking at Leonard.

“Yeah,” Leonard nodded deciding to just go with it.

“I’m impressed, Leonard. How long did the last one last?” Jocelyn smirked

“Two weeks.”

“And the others?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jim said putting his hand on Leonard’s leg, rubbing it gently.

Leonard looked at Jim curiously but opted to just ask later.

~

Over the course of the evening, Jim got more tactile. Leaning his head on Leonard’s shoulder, intertwining their fingers, tracing his index finger over the more prominent veins and tendons in Leonard’s arms and hands, mindlessly playing with the hair at the nape of Leonard’s neck, even going so far as to kiss the back of Leonard’s hand a few times.

“Bones, I’m going to go get something from one of the vending machines. Do you want anything?” Jim asked around nine o’clock.

“No, I’m fine,” Leonard shook his head.

“Text me if you change your mind.” Jim leaned down and kissed Leonard’s cheek before walking out.

“So, how old is he?” Jocelyn asked.

Leonard looked over at her. “What?”

“19? 20? How young is this one?”

“You know, contrary to your so dearly held belief, I don’t date people that much younger than me. Or date people much at all after you.”

“But how much younger is he?”

“Six years. He’s twenty-four.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed.

“Ask him when he gets back.”

“Maybe I will.”

Leonard rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

~

Around ten o’clock, Jocelyn stood, kissed Joanna’s forehead, and looked to Leonard and Jim. Jim had his head leaned on Leonard’s shoulder and was reading along with Leonard, though he had no idea what was actually going on in the plot.

“Since it is your night, I’m leaving,” Jocelyn announced.

“Goodnight,” Leonard nodded not looking at her.

“It was great to meet you,” Jim smiled at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him before walking out with Clay following.

“You know, they’re gone now. You can drop the act,” Leonard said ten minutes later.

“Oh, yeah,” Jim nodded pulling away. “I suppose I should go home now.”

“Jim…” Leonard began but Jim was already walking away.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard lied awake that night. Not because the couch was terrible to sleep on, though it really was. No. Because he couldn’t figure out what Jim was up to lying to Jocelyn about them dating. But there was a part of him that really wished it wasn’t a lie.

He woke up to find a text from Jim.

_Sorry about yesterday. Guess I got carried away. You can tell her we broke up or whatever._

He reread the text a few times before looking at Joanna, still unconscious. Looking back down at his phone, he sighed and called Jim.

“Hi, Bones,” Jim said nervously.

“Why did you do it?” Leonard asked.

“Because I told the nurse I was your boyfriend so that she’d let me in. I kinda had to keep up the act.”

“You couldn’t’ve just said you were my friend or called me to let me know you were at the front desk? Jim, you can’t go telling people we’re dating. We’re not. Not even close to it.”

“What if it was true?” Jim whispered.

“What?”

“It could be true.”

“Jim,” Leonard sighed.

“It’s fine. I get it. Just tell her we broke up or whatever you want. I’ll leave you alone.”

“And deal with her going on about how I can’t keep someone around? No, get your ass down here. We should have this discussion in person anyway.”

“Be there in half an hour?”

“Please bring coffee.”

“Was already planning on it.”

~

When Jocelyn and Clay showed up, Jim was sitting on the couch reading while Leonard talked to Joanna’s doctor.

“You couldn’t’ve waited until I got here?” Jocelyn asked bitterly.

“I was talking to Leonard about what I’ve been up to lately, Ms. Darnell,” Dr. Fisher answered.

“He doesn’t need to be in here.” Jocelyn pointed to Jim.

“Then Clay doesn’t need to either,” Leonard gestured toward the older man standing a foot behind Jocelyn.

She scowled at Leonard, then said, “Go on, Doctor.”

***

Jim started spending about the same amount of time at the hospital as Leonard did. Jocelyn didn’t stop scowling at him every time she saw him.

After about four days, Leonard was woken up by someone gently shaking him and whispering, “Bones,” urgently.

“Why are you waking me up?” he grumbled as he looked over at Jim who had apparently showed up at some unholy hour of the morning, better known at six.

Jim just pointed over at the bed. Leonard bolted up so fast he almost knocked Jim onto the floor.

“Daddy,” Joanna whispered, her lower lip trembling.

“I’m right here, sweetheart,” Leonard gave her a small smile as he sat on the edge of the bed brushing her dark hair out of her eyes.

She reached out for him and he took her hand, glancing over his shoulder at Jim, who was staring at the two of them.

“Can you get a nurse?” Leonard asked.

Jim nodded and walked out of the room.

“Daddy,” Joanna whined tugging on his hand trying to get him closer.

“I can’t give you a hug until I have the ok.” He rubbed her arm gently.

~

The second he had the ok half an hour later, Leonard pulled Joanna onto his lap and held her close.

“Your mama and Clay should be here too soon,” he said softly after a few minutes slowly combing the knots out of her hair with his fingers.

“No,” she shook her head.

“Yes. The nurse called them. They’ll be here soon.”

“I don’t want them.”

“Jo, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t like Clay,” she mumbled into Leonard’s shirt.

Leonard restrained himself from saying “me too” and answered, “Well, that’s not very nice to say.”

“Clay’s not very nice.”

“Why’s that?”

“He yells at me. Tells me to be quiet when I’m talking to Mama.”

“Are you interrupting?” Leonard asked rubbing her back.

“No. Never,” a voice from the doorway said.

Leonard looked over his shoulder to see Jocelyn standing in the doorway.

“She’s always perfectly polite. Never interrupts,” Jocelyn continued. “Clay just…He’d rather she stayed quiet.”

He turned back to Joanna, who was hiding her face in his chest and gripping his shirt. Jocelyn walked over so she was standing in front of Leonard and Joanna.

“What happened in that car, Jocelyn? And don’t you dare lie to me,” Leonard asked unsure if he was more scared of the answer, angry at what the answer could be, or heartbroken at the sight of his baby girl sniffling in his arms.

“We’d gone out to dinner. It was Clay’s birthday. I had a little too much wine so I couldn’t drive, and Clay had only had one beer. At least that I remember. Joanna was telling me about her day and he was getting frustrated telling her to be quieter because he was trying to focus on driving. Eventually he just turned around for a few seconds to tell her to just be quiet. Though, it was more like yelling. And the roads were a bit slick from the rain and he lost control.”

Leonard tightened his hold on Joanna who was borderline sobbing. “And how often? Besides the crash. How often does he yell at her?”

“More often than I care to think about.”

“When?”

“Everyday. Louder when he’s drunk.”

“How often is he drunk?” Leonard was doing everything he could to keep his voice steady.

“Often. Couple times a week.”

“I want custody.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want her going back to live with him.”

Jocelyn nodded.

“Full custody.”

“Ok.”

“Including from the second she’s released.”

“Ok, I’ll call my lawyer.” Jocelyn looked at Joanna for a long moment, utterly heartbroken, before walking out.

~

Once Joanna was calmed down, she started looking around the hospital room. Until her gaze landed on Jim sitting on the couch flipping through a comic book with black framed glasses perched on his nose.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Jim looked up and pushed his glasses back up. “I’m Jim. I’m your daddy’s…”

“Boyfriend,” Leonard finished for him.

Joanna looked at him then at Leonard. “He looks nice.”

Had Jim not be continuing to stare at Leonard in shock, he would have laughed.

“He is.”

“He doesn’t yell?”

“No, he can get a little loud when he gets excited, but I know of someone else who does that too.” Leonard winked at her.

Jim took his glasses off and set them on top of the comic book as he stood. He walked over to the bed, pulling the chair next to it closer and sitting down. “I don’t like when people yell when they get upset either, so I don’t.”

“I’m Joanna,” she said shifting around on Leonard’s lap so she could stick out her hand that wasn’t in a cast.

Jim grinned at her as he shook her hand.

***

Six months later

Leonard mentally prepared himself for the chaos his apartment no doubt was in. It always ended up a mess when he left the two of them alone for more than an hour. It had been ten hours between a partial shift in the operating room, meetings, and a final meeting with Jocelyn, their lawyers, and a judge to finalize the custody agreement.

When he opened the front door, he sighed. There were blankets and pillows everywhere. Joanna’s dolls were scattered on the floor not far from the coffee table, half-finished game of Life sat on the kitchen table. And it was quiet which could either be really good or really bad.

He sighed as he walked down the hall, far too tired to deal with the mess until the morning. He stopped in the doorway to Joanna’s room and smiled.

“Daddy,” she smiled when she saw him. She very carefully closed the old comic book in her hands and put it on her nightstand as he walked over.

“I see you wore poor Jim out,” Leonard laughed.

“Just a little,” Jim said as he opened his eyes before getting up from where he laid next to her.

“Did you already brush your teeth?” Leonard asked.

“Yes,” Joanna nodded.

“Then it’s time for you to get some sleep.”

Jim leaned down and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Jojo.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Jim,” she answered before he walked out of the room.

“Did you have fun?” Leonard asked as he tucked her in.

“Lots.”

“No fires I should know about?”

She laughed, then looked up at him as seriously as she could and asked, “Are you gonna ask him, Daddy?”

“Soon, now sleep.” He kissed her forehead and turned out the light.

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight, Jo.” He closed the door leaving a small crack, then walked to the main room where Jim was cleaning up the game on the kitchen table. He walked over and wrapped his arms around the blond, kissing his neck. “Just leave it.”

“And have you upset about having to clean up the mess I made and then left?”

“You can help clean up in the morning.”

“I’m not driving all the way back here just for that. I mean, I love you and all, but…”

“Then don’t.”

Jim turned around and looked at Leonard curiously. “So, do you want me to help clean up or not? Cause I can’t go home and clean up your apartment from mine.”

“Then make this our apartment. Not mine. Ours.”

“Are you sure?”

“You practically live here already. Might as well make it official.”

“Our apartment. I like how that sounds,” Jim grinned nodding.

“Let’s go to bed.” Leonard went to pull away but was pulled closer to Jim instead as the blond pressed his lips to Leonard’s. “Bed,” he repeated when Jim pulled away.

“Yes, dear,” Jim teased as he walked away.

Leonard shook his head slowly as he locked the front door before heading to bed. He poked his head into Joanna’s room and whispered, “He said yes.”

When he walked away, Joanna smiled to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://pinkamour1588.tumblr.com)


End file.
